


The Mark

by leafykeen



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean Keith, Angst, Bro dancing, Coran - Freeform, Definite plance there's no going back now, F/M, Finally some dialogue from Pidge, Godfather references???, Hurt/Comfort, In just one chapter though, Kallura soulmate au, Keith and Hunk are Bros, Pidge - Freeform, Pidge and Allura are friends, Pidge and Allura confide in each other!!!!, Pidge is a little bit flustered, Potential for plance, Self-indulgent fluff, Shiro - Freeform, Sleepy Cuddles, Soulmate AU, and, hunk - Freeform, just a little bit, lance - Freeform, plance, sick allura
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2018-12-03 02:59:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11523123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leafykeen/pseuds/leafykeen
Summary: I changed the title because I hated that titleMy take on an Altean soulmate au





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is going off the idea that Keith has a little Altean blood in him. Not really sold on the title, but it will do for now.

* * *

Keith and Allura had been sparring for at least an hour when it started. A dull ache emanated from somewhere around Keith’s shoulder, and it was getting worse as they went on. He’d had worse, so he ignored it and pushed himself harder. Keith had been getting better everyday, and now he and the princess were so evenly matched that she only just beat him. 

“You’re doing so well,” Allura said, still short of breath. “All of that training is paying off.” Her expression turned mischievous. “Maybe someday you’ll even beat me.”

Keith cocked an eyebrow at her. “Maybe?”

“No, you’re right,” she said. “You’ll never be as good as me.”

“Alright, that’s it.” Keith charged her, but Allura dove out of his reach, giggling. Keith finally got ahold of her, one hand holding her arm, the other tight around her waist. 

Allura hesitated. “You know I can get away easily, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Keith said, “but I know your one weakness.”

She gasped. “You do not!”

Keith grinned at her almost offended expression. “Oh yes I do.”

“And what is that suppose to be, exactly?”

“You’re ticklish.”

Allura didn’t have time to get away before Keith attacked. She laughed out loud, cursing Pidge for betraying her whenever she could catch a breath. That’s when it happened. 

The dull ache in his shoulder became a sharp, shooting pain. He was so surprised, he cried out and almost dropped Allura.

“Keith?!“ Allura reached towards Keith, then pulled back, afraid of hurting him more. “What happened? Are you alright?” 

Keith gritted his teeth and nodded. “I’m fine. Just a little pain I wasn’t expecting.” 

“I’m so sorry. I did hurt you, didn’t I?”

“You didn’t hurt me. I’m fine.”

“Let me see.” This time it was Keith who stopped her she she reached for him.

“Really, princess. I’m fine.”

“At least have Coran look-”

“Allura,” he interrupted her, “it’s okay. I’ll probably live.” Her exasperated look made him smile, and the pain lessened until all he felt was tingling. 

Allura huffed, finally giving in. “Fine. It’s late. We both need to sleep.”

“Goodnight, princess.” He turned to leave.

“Keith, wait.” He waited while Allura approached him. “If it gets worse, please, please promise me you’ll tell someone? That you’ll let us help you?”

Keith was struck by her words. Did she really care that much? “I promise.”

“Goodnight then.” Allura quickly kissed his cheek, and hurried out of the room. The pain sharpened again, as Keith stood, frozen, attempting to process what had happened.

She cared. 

She’d _kissed_ him.

Eventually Keith made it back to his own room. As he changed into pajamas, he saw light out of the corner of his eye. When he looked down, the light was coming from him. He hurried into the bathroom to get a better look.

The small birthmark on his collar bone was glowing a soft, light pink color. Keith stood transfixed until the glowing and the pain both faded away.

Keith knew he should tell someone. He knew what had just happened should worry him at least that much. If he was being honest with himself, it did. It scared the life out of him. But the pain and odd pink glowing had faded away, leaving only the small, swirled birth mark behind. 

He continued to stare at his reflection until he forced himself to go to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Allura took her time getting up the next morning. Thoughts of the night before with Keith left her blushing like crazy, the marks on her face and shoulder blades glowing just enough to attract attention. She wasn’t as worried about those though. The one that bothered her was small, and almost never seen by anyone else. Her soulmate mark, like a brand on her collar. It had been glowing on occasion for a while now, but it was especially strong ever since two nights before. When she and Keith had spent a few doboshes talking. That was it. Oh, and he had smiled at her. He had a wonderful smile. She couldn’t stop her own smile at the memory.

Allura knew she would love him. Maybe she didn’t yet, but it was inevitable. Even without her soulmate mark to convince her. She rubbed gently over the Altean letter, willing it to stop. To let her forget. 

She wondered if Keith had a mark too. He couldn’t, of course. Only Alteans had them. And Keith wasn’t Altean. He was human. He was… Galra. 

That was something Allura mustn’t forget. Even if she could get past it enough to be his friend, how could she ever love someone with Galra blood?

The answer was that she couldn’t. At least, not in that way. She would keep her distance. She would not encourage anything. 

Allura finally made it to breakfast. She sat down at the head of the table, the last to arrive. Pidge waved sleepily at her, and Lance’s “morning, Princess,” was much more enthusiastic. But it was the way that Keith looked up at her and smiled that began to melt her resolve. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short
> 
> The spelling in this makes me realize I shouldn't write and 2am. Or should at least proofread before posting. Wow.


	3. Chapter 3

“Alright paladins. I have a new lesson for you today.” Allura smiled at their frustrated groans. “How can you already be unhappy when you don’t even know what it is yet?” 

“Because you enjoy making us suffer,” Lance retorted, glaring at her.

“Be that as it may, there is more to a paladin of Voltron than fighting. You are also diplomats representing the Altean state. As such, you will on occasion be called on to participate in diplomatic ventures, such as the birthday party for the Grand Minister of Korwell.” 

Hunk raised his hand. “Um, what’s a Grand Minister or Korwell?” 

“Korwell has been an ally of Altea- well. They _were_ an ally of Altea for centuries. We will attend the birthday party for the Minister, and in doing so, show our interest in reforming that alliance in our fight against Zarkon.” More groaning. “I do believe you will enjoy yourselves. The Korwellians are bipods, and the food is not that different from Altean food.” Pidge made gagging noises, and Allura rolled her eyes. 

Shiro stepped forward, just a little more hesitant than usual. “Ballroom dancing wasn’t something that the Garrison really valued, so as far as I know, none of us have done it before…” 

“What? You’ve never danced?” Lance said. 

Shiro cocked an eyebrow at him. “No. Have you?” 

Lance smiled wide. “Of course I have! I was in both my sisters’ weddings. They made us take ballroom dancing classes so we didn’t embarrass them.” Lance grabbed Pidge and began to spin her around. Given their height difference and Pidge’s lack of cooperation, it was not an appealing sight. 

“Oh dear goodness,” Allura said, “please don’t dance like that at the party.”

“Hey!” Lance released Pidge and put his nose up at Allura, offended. “It’s not my fault if miss Katie here doesn’t know how to dance.” 

Pidge adjusted her glasses and returned to her place in line next to Shiro, eyes wide and cheeks red. 

Allura clapped to get their attention again. “Everyone take a partner. Shiro, you’re mine.” 

Lance snagged Pidge again. “Alright! Bro-dance!” Hunk said, and threw an arm around Keith. 

Allura and Shiro awkwardly demonstrated the dance. The paladins danced together for a bit with Coran helping them adjust their positions. 

“Keith. You’re leading.”

Keith snorted. “I am not.” 

“Actually, you are,” Coran said. “Hunk is in the position to lead. It looks like you’re dancing backwards.” 

Keith rolled his eyes and relaxed, letting Hunk take over. 

“There you go,” Hunk said, “trust me. Have faith in me. Follow the soothing sound of my voice.” 

Keith almost doubled over laughing. It made Allura smile. Her mark twinged. 

* * *

Keith never did get the steps quite right, understandably, since he and Hunk had to continually switch roles. After everyone else decided to take a break, he approached Allura to ask her help. 

Allura guided Keith’s hands to her waist and rested hers on his shoulders. They spent a few minutes going over the steps. 

“Okay, I think I have it now.” Keith got into position again, their bodies not more than a few inches apart, and they danced. It shouldn’t have surprised Allura that Keith could dance. He was one of the most graceful close combat fighters she’d ever seen. 

It wasn’t long before Keith really got the rhythm of the dance, and smiled at Allura. Pride shone in his eyes. He looked… happy. Her palms were sweating, and her shoulder ached. She realized she wanted him to look that happy all the time. 

Allura hadn’t even realized they had stopped dancing until Keith’s hand cupped her cheek, and he leaned in close. Her heart pounded and sharp pains shot through her. She closed her eyes and waited for… nothing. She opened her eyes to see Keith looking at her. His arm around her waist tightened, and he gently stroked her cheek. He looked sad.

“I’m sorry, princess,” Keith said quietly. He still didn’t let go of her. 

She didn’t move. “But you didn’t do anything.” 

Keith pulled back and shook his head. “And I shouldn’t. I’m sorry.” He released her and left.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not one, but two chapters in one day??? Amazing.

Keith hurried from the room. He felt like he could barely see straight, let alone think straight.

He had almost kissed her.

He had  _almost_   _kissed_   _Allura_. The  _princess_  Allura. His boss, essentially.

_Ew,_   _no. __That’s_   _weird.___

The weirdest part though? He had realized while they danced that he was in love with her.

Not that she could ever love him. How could she possibly….

He tried to forget the look in her eyes. The way she felt in his arms. He had been so sure at the time that she had wanted him too, but now he was second guessing himself. What if he’d just ruined any chance of being so much as friends with the princess, let alone more?

Keith needed to stop thinking. He needed a distraction. He heard Coran talking to himself somewhere nearby. Perfect. He’d been meaning to talk to Coran anyway. 

 

* * *

 

Keith followed Coran’s voice into the kitchen, where he found him mixing piles of what looked like some kind of vegetable in with a purple liquid. Coran looked up at him, smiling wide as usual. 

“Just need to let these marinate. They’ll be wonderful for tonight’s dinner!”

It didn’t smell horrible, although Keith had stopped trusting his nose when it came to Coran’s cooking. He could only hope Hunk would catch anything too horrible and make it edible by that evening. “What is it?”

“No idea!” Coran said enthusiastically, “But I do know they’re not poisonous.”

Well that was a good start, at least. 

“Do you have a minute?”

Coran blinked. “A minute? Oh, yes! Yes of course! Uh, is that the long one, or the short one?”

Keith chuckled. “That’s the short one.”

“For you, number four, I would even have.... what’s the long one called?”

“An hour.”

“Ah! Yes! For you, I would even have an hour.”

Of course he did. Coran always seemed to have time for them.

“I was hoping you could answer some questions for me. I think this might be a, um, Galra thing?”

Coran raised his eyebrows. “A Galra thing, eh? I suppose I might be of help, depending on the subject. What’s troubling you?”

“I  _think_ it’s a Galra thing. Don’t really know. I just know I’ve never heard of it happening on earth. It’s this,” Keith pulled aside the collar of his shirt to display the birthmark on his collar bone. 

Coran gasped. “Extraordinary.”

“It wasn’t. I mean, birthmarks are really common on earth. What I was hoping you would know about though is weirder-”

“It glows.”

Keith was taken aback. “Yes, it does.”

“And it stings?”

“Yes. Well, more than stings, usually. How did you know?”

“Because, Keith,” Coran unhooked the top latch of his vest and pulled his own collar back, “I have one too.”

It was a small cross-like shape. His though, was dark and puckered, like an old scar.

“What does it mean?” Keith asked, incredulous. 

“It’s an Altean soulmate mark.”

“Soulmate? What do you mean, 'soulmate'?”

“Many Alteans have soulmates. When they find them, their soulmate marks notify them.”

“But I’m not Altean.”

“You are,” Coran said, “or rather, you must be!”

“So... not a Galra thing? But I’m Galra.”

Coran nodded. “Yes, you are. But apparently there is some small amount of Altean in you too. Even if Galra had soulmate marks, and I’ve never had reason to think they might, they certainly wouldn’t be formed by Altean letters.” 

“Why does yours look different?”

Coran sighed and rubbed his hand over the mark. “My soulmate died when I was young. I never even met her. Don’t so much as know her name.” 

“I’m sorry,” Keith said. He couldn’t imagine losing Allura before getting the chance to know her-

_Allura_.

“What do the letters signify?” He asked.

“They’re usually the first sound of a person’s name. Yours is the fourteenth letter of the Altean alphabet.”

_Not the first?_  “And... what sound is that?”

“It sounds like ‘ _ah_ ’.”

Keith felt like he was falling. He grabbed the counter and leaned against it. “What does the glowing mean? And the pain?”

“We’ve never known the exact science behind soulmate marks, but as far as we can tell, it signifies that you and your soulmate are bonding.” Coran smiled knowingly. “Has your mark been glowing?”

“Yes,” Keith said quietly.

“Is it bothering you now?”

“No. It was, a lot, until today.”

“And what was happening today when it stopped?”

“Allura was teaching me how to dance.”

Coran smiled so wide Keith thought his face would split. “Do you know what that means, my boy?” He practically whispered, eyes teary.

“No.” Now Keith was worried. Was that bad? Was he dying? Was Allura dying?

“The nuisance of the mark ends when the wearer of it finally accepts his or her love for their soulmate”

Oh.

Oh  _no_.

So much for a distraction.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short

Of course Keith was in love with Allura. Why wouldn’t he be? Allura was the most amazing woman he’d ever met, as well as being completely unattainable. Just his luck. 

But he did love her, nonetheless. And he intended to love her. Even if she never loved him back, if she never gave him a second glance, Keith would love her. She deserved no less. 

* * *

Allura didn’t want to admit to herself that she was avoiding Keith. The less she saw of him, the less often she was reminded of the inevitable. Her mark became more annoying every day. Still she ignored it. It couldn’t be right. It couldn’t be him. Even if she wasn’t so concerned anymore about his Galra heritage, he wasn’t Altean. He couldn’t logically be her soulmate. She couldn’t _have_ a soulmate. Everyone was… gone. 

She pushed that thought away, blinking back tears. Of course, that was only one reason she and Keith couldn’t be together. She had a list of them, a list she forced herself to repeat until she had it memorized. 

He wasn’t Altean. 

They were in the middle of a war. 

She was technically his superior, and anything too personal would ruin the dynamics of the team. 

Not to mention he deserved someone with a lot less emotional baggage than her. 

She liked to pretend that that last point cheered her up. Lance had said “emotional baggage” once, and the image of someone carting their emotions around in traveling bags had made her laugh out loud. This was all denial, of course. In truth, the thought broke her heart. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pure, self-indulgent fluff.

“Well paladins, I’ve got some bad news,” Coran announced one morning while they ate breakfast. “It seems Princess Allura has come down with a case of the freezies.” 

Lance snorted. “The _freezies_? You have to be kidding. Tell me it’s not like the slipperies.” 

“I’m afraid it’s exactly like the slipperies, except instead of secreting mucus, the princess will simply be uncomfortably cold. She will be out of commission for the next few days.” 

“It must be nice only ever having to deal with one symptom at a time,” Hunk said. 

Coran shook his head. “Actually, the freezies are anything but nice. Allura’s sleeping comfortably for now, but once the illness really sets in, she’ll be in a great deal of discomfort for a short while.” 

“But she’ll be okay?” Keith asked, worriedly. 

“While there’s no cure for the common freezies, most patients recover completely without complications. There’s nothing to worry about. You will, however, have to commence training today without the princess to supervise.” 

As concerned as they all were about Allura, they all welcomed a break from her rigorous training routine. Until Coran said, “I’ll be training you instead, and I expect Allura will be impressed by what improvements we’ll make in such a short period of time!” 

So much for a break. 

* * *

As hard as Keith usually trained, he couldn’t deny Coran had put them through the wringer that day. By the time they were finished, Pidge and Lance were dead on their feet and Hunk was practically in tears. Even Shiro was obviously wiped at the end. Keith’s exhaustion hadn’t truly registered until after he had showered and changed into comfortable clothes. It took everything he had to head back out of his room to find Coran and ask after Allura. Coran had just returned from Allura’s room with an empty tea tray, and had suggested with a twinkle in his eye that now would be a good time for Keith to check on her.

Keith entered Allura’s room after she didn’t respond to his knocking. It was uncomfortably warm inside, contrary to the way Allura shivered in her bed. She was wrapped up in two blankets and surrounded by pillows, and she looked miserable. 

“Allura?” She didn’t seem to hear him at first, but after a moment she squinted up at him. 

“Keith? What are you doing here?” Her voice sounded rough and tired. 

Keith sat down on the edge of the bed. “I just wanted to check on you. Coran told us you were sick. Is there anything you need?” 

She sighed. “No. I’ll be fine. I used to get freezies all the time as a child.” 

“Well what helped you feel better then?” 

Allura was silent for a moment, then she said quietly, “My father used to hold me, at least until the shivering became more bearable.” She wiped at her eyes and pulled the blankets higher around her shoulders. Keith’s heart broke for her. Then he smiled, and said, “Would you like me to hold you for a while?”

“Keith…”

“You know, just until the shivering stops. No offense, but you look miserable.” 

Allura just looked at him for a moment before nodding and scooting over just enough that Keith could get into the bed next to her. He pulled her rigid, shaking body close, strong arms holding her firmly. 

Allura snuggled against him, her arm resting across his stomach and head on his shoulder. She still shivered, and Keith could feel how cold she was. After a few minutes, she asked quietly, “Will you read to me?” 

Keith turned his head to the right to see the book sitting on her nightstand. “Sorry princess, I can’t read Altean.” 

“I don’t understand why. Altean has half the symbols Anglish does.” 

“English,” he said, “and that doesn’t make it easier. It just means each letter can be more than one sound. It’s actually much more confusing.” 

“Whatever.” Was she always this ornery when she was sick? “Tell me a story then.” 

“Uh… I don’t really know any stories.” 

“You must know _something_.”

Keith thought for a moment. “All that’s coming to mind right now is Goldilocks and the three bears.” 

“What’s a bear?” 

“It’s an earth animal. Big, hairy. Sharp, I guess. Wait, how do you know about lions but not bears?” 

“How do you know about lions but literally nothing else from Altea?”

“Fair enough.” Keith smiled. “So there’s this girl, Goldilocks. She’s wandering in the woods for some reason I can’t remember-”

“Why is she called Goldilocks?” 

“Because her hair is yellow.” 

“What level of Earth literature is this?” 

Keith chuckled. “It’s not exactly literature.” 

Allura sighed. “Go on then.” 

“So Goldilocks is hungry. She comes across this house, and when she goes in-” 

“She goes _in_? Is that not against the law on earth?” 

“Of course it is, but that’s not the point. So anyway, she goes in, and… I think she starts sith the porridge…” 

“You’re not very good at this.” 

Keith laughed outright. Ornery. But her shivering had slowed, and she was content to be in his arms, so he was happy. “Sorry Allura. That’s all I’ve got.” 

She huffed and wiggled around for a minute until she was practically in top of him, her freezing nose against his neck. “I’m cold,” she whined. It was honestly adorable to see their fearless leader acting this way. Keith smiled and kissed her forehead. At that moment, he desperately wanted to tell her how much he loved her. That’s when he noticed her nightgown had shifted, revealing her mark to him for the very first time. It was small like his, but instead of the delicate swirled pattern of his mark, hers was closer to a rectangle with a line in it. More importantly, it still glowed. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's some more self indulgent fluff

Allura woke up feeling much better than she had been, if not quite normal yet. She was hugging Keith’s waist, with her head on his chest and their legs tangled together. She’d never felt so secure before. So…. 

_Not_ _loved_ , she reminded herself. Not loved. She couldn’t afford that. Still, she felt like there was a dam inside her, and every time it came close to breaking, she pushed it back into place, and ignored the little cracks left behind by every push. It hurt. Her mark was a constant pain. 

_Oh_ _no._ Her mark! 

She panicked and checked to make sure the glowing was covered by her nightgown. To her relief, it was. That wasn’t something she felt like explaining. 

Keith stirred. “Allura?” He said, sleepily. She hummed in response. “What time is it?” 

Allura snuggled against him again. “Who cares? You’re warm and you smell good, so I’m not letting you get up anyway-” _Quiznak._

“I… smell good?” 

She winced. “Well, yes. Yes you do, come to think of it.” 

“I use the same soap as everyone else.” She could hear the amusement in his voice. 

“Well it… it smells different on you, I guess.” She groaned and buried her face in his chest. “Please just let it go.” 

Keith chuckled and kissed her head. The dam cracked a little more. 

“How are you feeling?” He asked. 

“Depends.“ 

“On what?” 

“Whatever answer will make you stay.” She shouldn’t be doing this. She shouldn’t be flirting with him. 

“If you want me to stay, then wild horses couldn’t drag me away.” Her heart would have melted at his tone, if she would have allowed it to. 

Allura had noticed the gentle, comforting tone Keith used when she was upset. She couldn’t help but hope that it was something he reserved specially for her, foolish though that desire was. 

Keith kissed her head again, and threaded his fingers through her hair. She wouldn’t suffer so if he could just stop being so sweet. She could always kick him out, but she simply didn’t have the willpower to give up her own comfort. It certainly wasn’t the thought of hurting him that stopped her. How ridiculous. She and Keith were nothing more than friends, and could never be anything more than friends. She thought through the list again… 

He wasn’t Altean. They were at war. She was his superior. He had stupidly pretty Galra violet eyes. His arms were a work of art. And _quiznak_ did he smell good…. 

_Now_ _you_ _stop_ _that,_ Allura chided herself. Keith was her friend. That was all she needed. 

And the dam cracked. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter establishes a little Plance

Keith was determined. Allura may not love him yet, but how he’d seen the proof that she was meant to. That they were made for each other. That they were… _soulmates._

Every time, the word sent a little thrill through him, and every time, he squashed it, reminding himself that Allura still couldn’t accept him. He understood why, of course. He could think of a million reasons he wasn’t good enough for her, each more depressing than the last. 

And still, he was determined. Determined to prove to her that he was worthy. Determined to prove it to himself, too. 

Because he did love her. He loved her in a way he didn’t know it was possible to love anyone. Before, he might have been content to simply remain her friend and love her from a distance, but not now. Not now that he’d seen the physical proof. The proof that he was right for her, made for her. He remembered the pain his own mark had caused him, and that made Keith even more eager. 

Keith’s thoughts were interrupted by Hunk and Pidge arguing down the hall. 

“Seriously, Pidge? You let Lance borrow your stuff all the time, and I can’t use your headphones for five minutes?”

“Lance asks first.”

“Yeah, I ask first,” Lance piped in. 

“You do not!” 

Keith turned the other way to avoid them.

* * *

Later than afternoon, Keith entered the kitchen to find Lance leaning against the counter with a bag of something in his hands. 

“Why are you and Allura always dancing around each other?” 

Keith usually tried to ignore Lance. Usually. “What do you mean?”

“Well, maybe dancing isn’t the best term,” Lance said, digging through Hunk’s makeshift trail mix for the sweet pieces. “It’s more like a really sad chase. You’re always trying to get her attention, and she’s not giving it. It’s pathetic, man.” 

Keith rolled his eyes. “And how are you and Pidge any different?” 

Lance choked on his trail mix. “Wait, what?” he said hoarsely. 

Keith grinned at Lance’s pink cheeks and bewildered to expression, glad that the focus was off him for a minute. “It’s really obvious. You flirt with her all the time. Why else would you purposely annoy her so much?” 

Lance scoffed. “I don’t annoy her… Do I?” He paled, looking distraught, and Keith started to feel bad. “She must hate me.” 

“Dude, she doesn’t hate you.” 

“Like you would know. You come on way too strong, and that’s why Allura’s avoiding you.” 

“I’m not… She’s not…” Oh. “How do I.. not do that?” 

Lance shrugged. “Just leave her alone once in a while.” 

He could do that. “You know Pidge doesn’t hate you, right? She probably just isn’t used to the attention.” 

Lance brightened a bit. “You think so?” 

“Don’t you think if Pidge wanted you to stop, she’d have made you stop by now?”

Lance grinned, a little bit of the self doubt leaving his eyes. “She’d have murdered me by now.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura is a tough nut, so I especially enjoy cracking her.
> 
> I know it seems like there's kind of a large jump between the last chapter and this one, and that's because... There is. I just don't know right now how to fill it.

Allura sat on the med bay table, shaking from blood loss. Coran had already wrapped the stab would in her side, before leaving to tend to Pidge’s concussion. That left Keith to tend to the rest of her wounds. He was achingly gentle as he cleaned the blood and dirt from her face, arms, and hands. He was especially gentle around the bruise she could feel forming on her left cheek. It almost made her cry. She kept her eyes downcast, almost afraid to look at him. Her mark was on full display, and glowing brightly, but the pain of that was nothing compared to what she felt now. Her shaking increased, but she didn’t know if it was from the cold, pain, or embarrassment. She felt Keith run his thumb over the glowing mark before wrapping his arms around her shoulders, and pulling her close. Allura buried her face in his neck, tense for a moment, before relaxing and letting Keith hold her. She rested her arms low on his waist, lacking the strength to hold him tighter. 

After a few minutes, Keith pulled away to return with a water pouch for her. “Drink,” he said, and Allura did. Dizziness set in when Keith picked her up, one arm around her waist, careful not to disturb her wound, and the other under her legs. Keith carried her to the couch in another room and sat down, reclining a bit so she could continue to lean against him. He reached for the fuzzy Pikachu blanket at the end of the couch. Pidge and Lance had found it at Space Mall, and dubbed it their Movie Watching Blanket. He made sure Allura was completely covered up to her shoulders, and then resumed holding her. 

When Keith was sure she was asleep, he kissed her temple, and whispered, “I love you, Allura.” To Keith’s dismay, she stirred and pushed herself away from him. 

“What did you say?” 

“Nothing, I-”

“You said you love me.” 

Keith sighed. “Can we talk about it tomorrow?” 

Allura blinked at him, exhausted, then nodded and cuddled against him again. 

Keith breathed a sigh of relief, as the princess fell asleep in his arms.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Pidge and Allura drag some realizations out of each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for all the comments over the past few months! I so much appreciate all the compliments, encouragement, and criticisms. Hopefully life will be a little less hectic, and updates a little more often. 
> 
> Please accept my apology for all the ensuing ellipses.

Allura woke slowly. She was in her bed, comfortable and warm, and content to stay that way. That’s when she remembered. 

The memories of the day before came crashing down on her. The battle. Her wound. _Keith_.

She sat up in horror. He had seen it. He had seen her mark. 

_Oh no, oh no, oh no…_

She couldn’t face him. He loved her. She didn’t love him. Well, she couldn’t love him. Shouldn’t love him. She tried to list the reasons why. 

She couldn’t think of a single one. But she was gripped by a fear she couldn’t understand, and she simply couldn’t face him. So she fled. 

Allura threw on a robe and hurried from the room, hoping luck would be with her and she wouldn’t run into anyone else. 

She found herself in a small service room, full of computers and electronics. A safe enough place to hide, she assumed. She was wrong. 

A handful of ticks after she arrived, the door opened, and she relieved to see it was only Pidge who stepped into the room. 

“Allura? What are you doing in here? Shouldn’t you be resting? You lost a lot of blood.“

Allura shook her head. “If it was that bad, Coran would have put me in a pod.”

Pidge nodded, and sat down on the floor next to Allura. “Fair point. That’s where Lance is right now.” 

“Lance!? What happened?”

Pidge covered her face and started to cry, which startled Allura. She laid her hand on Pidge’s shoulder and waited, unsure of what else to do. After a moment Pidge turned to look at Allura, sniffling. 

“He, um. He took a shot for me. Like, pulled me out of the way and took it himself. In the shoulder. Coran says he’ll be okay, but,” she took a shaky breath, “I’m still scared to death that he won’t come out of that pod.” She closed her eyes and a few more tears fell. Allura pulled her into a tight hug. 

“He’ll be fine,” she said quietly, “Lance is tough.” 

Pidge pulled away, shaking her head. “He shouldn’t be in there though. He shouldn’t have done that. He should know that my life isn’t worth any more than his, and that the team needs him, and… I can’t…” she trailed off. 

“You can’t what?” Allura asked. 

Pidge sighed. “I can’t imagine him not being here with us. With me. I don’t know. It’s stupid. When did Lance become so important to me?”

“Hasn’t he always been important to you?”

“Yes. No. Not like…. Not like this, you know? Like,” Pidge looked down at her hands, taking a moment to think over her words, “he’s my friend. My best friend, maybe. And you’re all my friends, but somehow it’s different with Lance. I think I might…” She trailed off again, but Allura was intrigued. 

“You might?” She pressed, “You might what?”

“I think I might, you know, like him.”

“Like him? Of course you like him. You just said he’s your friend.”

“No, see. On Earth, at least where I’m from, liking someone is different than just liking them as a person. It means you have some amount of, um, romantic, I guess? Romantic interest in them.” 

“Oh.” Allura had to smile at the way Pidge’s face had turned bright red. “So you _like_ Lance in a possibly romantic way, is what you’re saying?”

Pidge wrinkled her nose in annoyance. “Ugh, yeah. I do. It sucks.” 

Allura laughed out loud, and Pidge smiled. They were quiet for a few short dobashes, when Allura said, “Thank you for confiding in me. You do believe he’s going to be all right, don’t you?”

“Yeah. I do. It’s just hard to see someone you care about hurt like that. Especially when it’s your fault.”

“It’s not really your fault.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m still gonna blame myself though. At least until Lance is awake and I can yell at him instead.”

“Understandable.”

“Hm.” Pidge was silent for a while again. “So what’s up with you and Keith?” Allura wished she had remained silent. 

“There’s nothing ‘up’ with Keith and me.”

Pidge clearly didn’t believe her. Allura huffed. “I’m telling you the truth. Keith and I are friends.”

Pidge rolled her eyes. “Okay, if you’re gonna be that way. Let’s say there was something up. Let’s say Keith was really obviously into you. How would you feel about that?”

“Well.. I really couldn’t feel anything about it, could I? I mean, Keith isn’t Altean.”

“Not to be harsh, but no one’s Altean except you and Coran.”

Allura sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees. “I suppose you’re right. But he’s not exactly human either.”

“So?”

“So what?”

“You’d really reject Keith because he’s Galra? Isn’t that a little racist?”

Allura shrugged. “I don’t know. What is ‘racist’?”

“It’s judging someone based on their race alone, and treating them differently because of it. Like if you’d be into Keith if he was one-hundred percent human, but him being Galra is holding you back? That’s high-key racist.”

“Oh,” Allura pondered that for a second. “I guess I never thought of it that way before.”

“Yeah,” Pidge said it like it should be the most obvious thing in the world, “it’s not Keith’s fault he’s Galra. And even if that did somehow make a person evil by default, then how would you explain Keith being as good as he is?”

Allura stared at Pidge, trying to rationalize what Pidge said to her point of view. Of course what Pidge described was wrong, but it wasn’t what she was doing, was it? Oh, quiznak. It was. 

“You’re right. I’ve been horrible. I’ve…” She trailed off, flinching as the mark on her collar began to burn, sending pain shooting through her neck and shoulder. And then…

It stopped. 

“Pidge?” 

“Yes?”

“Keith is a good person.”

“Yes, he is.”

“He’s not… That is to say, there’s more to him than his parentage.”

“That’s correct.”

Allura’s heart sped up as she continued to think out loud. “He’s kind. And thoughtful. And handsome.”

Pidge smirked. “Not really my type.”

“Pidge?”

“Allura?”

“I’m in love with Keith.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot shorter than it felt like it was when I was writing it...

Allura stood in front of the mirror in her room fighting back tears. Tears of what, she couldn’t pinpoint. Fear, certainly. Relief, for sure. But also sadness, joy, and… anxiety, she was surprised to discover. 

She stared at the soft pink mark on her collar bone, the one which no longer glowed, and felt the anxiety grow. One thing Allura had never before in her life feared was rejection. She thought back on all the things stopping her from allowing herself to love Keith, and wondered, for the first time, if he had his own reservations about her as well. Perhaps it was unfair of her to expect Keith to accept someone outside of his own species when she had refused to do the same. 

She cringed at her selfishness and hypocrisy. And she hoped, perhaps in vain, that Keith would be willing to love someone like her. 

* * *

“He’s avoiding me.” 

“Yikes!” Pidge jumped and almost dropped her laptop. “Allura! You scared me. Don’t sneak up on me like that.” 

“Sorry,” Allura said, “Hello Pidge, I’m here, next to you, with no intention of scaring you. Better?”

“Yes. You were saying?” 

“He’s avoiding me.” 

“Keith?” 

Allura rolled her eyes. “No, Luke Moonwalker.” 

“Skywalker. Who told you about Star Wars anyway?” 

“Hunk, but that’s not important right now.

Pidge shrugged. “What makes you think he’s avoiding you?” 

“Well,’ Allura bit her lip, "he sees me coming, and he goes in the other direction. He doesn’t seek me out like he did before. When we are together, he barely speaks to me. I don’t know what I did wrong.” 

“He likes you.” 

Allura threw her hands up in frustration. “But how can you know? How can you say he _likes_ me when he won’t have anything to do with me?” 

“That’s _why_ I know he likes you,. You make him nervous.” Pidge said, amused, “He likes you, and he doesn’t know what to do about it, so he avoids the problem. Classic guy drama.” 

“ _Guy drama_. Ridiculous.” 

It took everything in Pidge not to laugh at her friend. “Look, if you want to solve this, you need to talk to him about it.” 

Allura bit her lip again. A nervous habit, Pidge noticed. “How did things go when you talked to Lance?” 

“Oh, I’m not talking to Lance.” Pidge could feel herself blushing an em embarrassing shade of red. Again. 

“Oh? Why not? He’s been out of the pod for a week already.” 

“Look,” Pidge sighed, “I’ve learned not to ask questions I don’t want the answers to.” 

“I don’t understand. You like him, don’t you?” 

“Yeah, but I can’t tell him that. He’s way out of my league. And even if he wasn’t, he treats me like a little sister.” 

Allura smiled. “Maybe you make him nervous too!”

Pidge snorted. “Yeah, sure Princess.” 

“I’m serious! Why wouldn’t Lance like you? You’re a wonderful person, Pidge. Any man would be lucky to catch your eye.” 

Pidge laughed out loud. “Okay, okay. I get it. I’ll make a deal with you though. I’ll talk to Lance, after you’ve talked to Keith. Deal?” 

Allura shrugged. 

“Oh, right,” Pidge stuck out her hand. “I say ‘deal’, you say 'deal’, we shake hands. Deal?” 

Allura shook Pidge’s hand firmly. “Deal.” 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, but this felt like a good place to stop before the actual ~confrontation~

Keith felt like he was being hunted. Allura was very obviously trying to corner him, but he wasn't having it. He was not in the mood for rejection, to hear why she'd rather live with a very literal _pain in her neck_ than give in and love him. 

So Keith hid. In hallways, in nooks, in closets. He felt very undignified, but nonetheless justified. Until he tried to hide in the kitchen. Hunk grabbed his arm and he tried to sneak past him. 

"Why so stealthy today, Keith? Some ninja training none of us get?" 

Keith shook off Hunk's grip. "No, just. Um..."

Hunk looked at him skeptically. 

"... stuff." 

Hunk laughed. "Right, man. 'Stuff.' Look, you do you, but Pidge has been looking for you all day. She wants you to meet her in her lab." 

Keith sighed and left to meet Pidge. Not that he could think of a single reason why Pidge would need him in her lab. 

The door was open, and immediately slid shut behind him. Pidge turned around in her chair, petting Platt, who lay curled him in her lap. "I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse," she said, ominously. 

Keith was very confused, especially when Pidge doubled over laughing, letting Platt scurry away. Pidge got ahold of herself after a minute, and got up to stand by the door. "All jokes aside, someone wants to talk to you, and you can't run away now." She slid open the door to reveal Allura, who stepped in while Pidge slid out. "Have fun guys," she called, as the door slid shut again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picture me googling detailed descriptions of movie scenes because I couldn't remember what gosh darn movie that scene was from. (It's the Godfather)
> 
> Also, this chapter used the word slid *so many times* please forgive me.

**Author's Note:**

> I would appreciate any feedback. It's my first time writing something like this.


End file.
